The Perfect Christmas Gift
by Smurf2005
Summary: Raeger and Annie had been dating for a few years, and Raeger wanted to do something special for Christmas. He decided it was time to take their relationship to the next level. CHRISTMAS STORY. Thanks to umbreonix for being my beta.


A/N: Hello everyone! Smurf2005 with a brand new story! I have been wanting to write a story like this for a long time. I have been depressed lately, and I haven't been writing like I used to. I blame it on my apartment. I live underground and I get no natural light in here, and honestly, that makes me a little sad. Anyways, this is _Story of Seasons_ because it's so much better than _Harvest Moon_ now. And I love Raeger. He is so cute. Thank you to umbreonix for being my beta for this story. That helped me out a lot. On to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own _Story of Seasons. Story of Seasons_ is owned by it's respective owners.

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The Perfect Christmas Gift

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It was his day off, and he was humming happily as he stood at the counter of the restaurant, whisking cake batter. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and Raeger was planning on spending it with his girlfriend, Annie. They had been dating for a few years now, but this year was going to be special. This year he was planning on proposing to her.

Both Raeger and Annie were shy, but Raeger had come out his shell since he met Annie. He was the one that initiated the relationship between them, and he was the one that was going to propose.

He had met her 5 years ago when she first came to the village. She had answered the flyer to become a farmer, and help the village revive itself. She had stayed with Eda until her house was ready. He met her the very first day. It seemed like a long time to him.

He continued to hum as he poured the batter into a pan and put it in the oven. He had ordered a blue feather from the General Store, and he was waiting for it to be delivered. He didn't want anyone else knowing that he was buying one, so he ordered it in secret, and Otmar agreed to have it delivered to him discreetly.

He had just sat down at the table with a cup of tea and a book when there was a knock on the door. Raeger sighed slightly as he stood up. He hoped it wasn't Fritz. Fritz had a bad habit of coming to the restaurant when it was closed, and while Raeger liked Fritz, it was becoming a bit tiring.

Raeger opened the door, and there stood a young woman he had never seen before. He blinked a couple times and shook his head.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes! I was asked to deliver this to you," she said, producing a small wooden box from her bag. "I don't know whats in it, but I was told that it was very important that it was delivered today."

"Ah! Yes! It is very important! Thank you very much!" Raeger said, reaching for the box.

At that moment, a very loud noise erupted from the girls stomach and she blushed.

"Ah, excuse me. It's almost my lunch time, and I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning, so I am a bit hungry."

Raeger chuckled a bit and looked up at the sky. It was starting to snow, and he could tell that it was getting really cold.

"Why don't you come in and I will make something for you to eat. I was about to cook something for myself, and it won't be any problem to make some for one extra person."

He smiled and he moved so the girl could move into the warmth of the restaurant. After Raeger let the girl in, he ran upstairs real quick and hid the box in his dresser. Then, he went back downstairs and made some stew and rice balls.

They talked about their lives, and he learned that the girl was trying to earn some money to go home and see her boyfriend. She wanted to travel a bit after graduating, and he promised to wait for her. Raeger smiled as he heard her story.

After a couple hours, the girl left, and Raeger finally started putting the finishing touches on the cake. He wanted the cake to be a surprise, too, so he hoped Annie wouldn't show up and see it. She did have the tendency to pop up unexpectedly.

Raeger finally finished the cake and he glanced up at the clock. He didn't realize it had gotten so late, and he was a bit concerned. Annie hadn't shown up at all, and that was very uncharacteristic of her. She had never missed a day to see him, unless she had passed out from exhaustion, which had happened a few times. He decided to make a trip to her farm and see if she was okay.

The chef put the cake into the refrigerator, and pulled his jacket on, zipping it up. He stepped outside, and he felt the breath leave him. It was freezing, and he didn't like the idea of walking so far to see Annie, but he was slightly worried, so he started heading up toward the farm.

The snow had thickened, and he had to force a way through the snow. His feet were freezing, and his breath rose in a white mist in front of him. The snow was still falling, and he could feel the cold flakes on his skin.

After awhile, he arrived at Annie's farm. All her animals were shut in their barns, and her plants looked well taken care of. There were faint traces of a path leading to her house. The house was brightly lit and looked warm. Raeger headed toward the front door and raised a shaking hand to knock.

It was quiet for a few moments until he heard a lock slide, and the door opened. He saw the surprise on Annie's face.

"Raeger?! What are you doing here? You must be freezing!"

Annie stood back and opened the door wider. Raeger stepped inside real quick and shook the snow off his jacket.

"I came by because I hadn't seen you today. I was worried. I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Raeger said, looking over at Annie.

He glanced around the room. The TV was on, and the room smelled of rice. He assumed that she had just finished dinner and was relaxing in front of the TV.

"Oh, yeah. I am fine. I just felt a bit tired today, so I retired early. Sorry for not letting you know," she said.

Raeger could tell that she wasn't being entirely truthful, but he didn't push it. She wasn't meeting his eyes, and she always looked him straight in the eyes when she talked to him or anyone else. He didn't want to start a fight with her, especially right before he was going to propose.

"Hey, Annie, what are you doing tomorrow?" he asked, glancing over her.

"Nothing really. I was just going to treat it like any other day. Why do you ask?"

"Can you meet me later tomorrow evening? I have something I want to talk to you about," the young chef said.

Annie agreed to meet him around seven, and after a quick hug, Raeger headed back to the town. The wind had picked up, and blew snow all over, but he didn't care. He was excited that he was going to be able to spend some quality time alone with his true love.

The next morning was sunny, but cold. That was to be expected. Raeger opened the shop, but he was closing early so he could spend time with Annie. His mind was on her all day and he couldn't wait to see her.

He closed shop around five, and started to get dinner ready. He was making her favorite dish, lasagna. By the time it was seven, Raeger had dinner sitting on the table, and the Christmas Cake he made the day before sat in the middle. He retrieved the box from upstairs and stuffed it into his coat pocket and waited.

Not long after, Annie showed up. She was wearing one of his favorite outfits. It was a yellow skirt and jacket combo. Her brown hair was also pulled back in a bun instead of her normal ponytail that she wore during winter. She looked a little surprised when she saw all the food, and she smiled slightly as she thanked Raeger.

As they sat down to eat, Raeger could tell that something was bothering Annie. He didn't bring it up because he didn't want to ruin the night they were having. Maybe she was worrying about her farm. If that was the case, then it had nothing to really do with him. After all, he was a chef, not a farmer. He doubted he would be able to help her.

After dinner, they took a walk toward the pond that was near her farm. She still seemed distracted and it worried him. When they got to the pond, they stood in silence for a moment, just staring at the waters surface. The surface was like a mirror and it reflected the stars above and their faces.

"Hey, Annie," Raeger said, looking over at her. "I have a question for you."

Annie turned to look at him, but didn't say anything. Silence formed between them, and Raeger gripped the box before pulling it out of his coat pocket. He opened the box, and there was a beautiful blue feather in the box. He got down on one knee and showed it to her.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

Annie didn't answer right away, and Raeger was feeling increasingly nervous. She sighed and her brows furrowed. Raeger was slightly confused by the look on her face.

"Are you sure you want to marry me?" she asked.

Raeger's eyes widened as she asked that and he stood up. He closed the box, stuffed it his jacket and grabbed her shoulders.

"Of course I want to marry you! Why wouldn't I? I love you! Why would you ask that?"

"What about the other girl?" she questioned.

"Other girl? What other girl?" Raeger asked, searching for another girl in his brain.

"The girl from yesterday," she said, crossing her arms. "I saw a girl enter your restaurant even though you were closed. I left the Guild, and I was going to come over to see you, and I saw the girl."

Raeger stood stock still for a moment before he started to chuckle. Annie had seen the girl from yesterday and she thought something was going on. Annie looked upset at his sudden laughter and she was about to say something when Raeger embraced her.

"There is nothing to worry about," he said, nuzzling her neck. "She was just dropping off the blue feather and she hadn't had lunch yet, so I invited her in for a quick bite to eat. She was trying to earn some money to get home to see her own boyfriend."

"Really?" Annie asked.

"Really," he answered. "So, will you marry me?"

He stepped back from her to look at her face. She smiled as she reached into her pocket and produced another blue feather, more beat up than his.

"I suppose so. After all, I was going to ask you, too."

The somehow ended up in Annie's house, with Annie pressed up against the door, and Raeger pinning her there. His lips were all over her face and neck. She moaned slightly as he playfully bit her neck and earlobes.

They ended up on the bed, Annie underneath Raeger. Wherever he touched her, her skin seemed to burn. She was very receptive, and Raeger liked it. They spent the night making love, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Several hours later, Raeger was still in bed. Annie had just left to care for her farm, and Raeger needed to get back to his shop. He smiled at the memory from the night before. They had been together for a few years, and last night was the first night they had spent together. He was her first, and he was going to be her last. He liked that feeling. He just wished that he had waited. But, he was determined to make her his last.

He got out of her bed, got dressed and left her house. It was crisp and clear, and he could see her footsteps. Her dog and cat come up to him, and he gave them each a pat on the head before he headed toward town. They had agreed that during his lunch break, they were going to tell Veronica that they were going to get married. To him, that seemed like the perfect Christmas gift.

The End

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A/N: I hope you all liked it! I don't have much to say except Merry Christmas and have a happy new year! If you don't celebrate, then happy holidays! Remember, constrictive criticism is welcome, but please no flames. Bye!


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